Pubdate: Wed, 20 Dec 2017
Source: Sun Times, The (Owen Sound, CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Owen Sound Sun Times
Contact: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/letters
Website: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1544
Author: Walter E. Eibisberger
Page: A5

THUMBS DOWN FOR LEGALIZED POT

During my life time, I have always taken politics with a grain of
salt; I never took it too seriously as Canada's voting system gave me
the opportunity to exercise my rights every four years with my
personal vote to effect change.

Since Pierre Trudeau's time as prime minister of Canada, things have
changed noticeably but not always for the better. For example, during
the past decades, the Indigenous social issues have been kicked down
the road like a tin can with no evidence of concrete changes for the
people. Many [Indigenous people] continue to live on far northern
inaccessible reserves with overall sub-standard living conditions,
drinking water and sewage disposal challenges.

One thing remained constant for decades: Indigenous folks and
governments continue to believe that money and apologies will improve
the standard of living. That's proving to be a wrong strategy.

I do not want to use this space to lecture the government or anyone
else about the shortcomings of the government's current Indigenous
policies and other pressing Canadian social and economic issues.
Instead I want to express my anger at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
and his progressive Liberals for initiating their irresponsible policy
to legalize the consumption of recreational marijuana by persons 18
years and older.

Canadians have been fed enough lies by the government and the media in
the past regarding the justification for pursuing this legalization
initiative. Over and over, the public was told by former Toronto
Police Chief [Julian] Fantino that it's being done in the interest of
protecting children from being able to acquire marijuana and eliminate
the street market. It's interesting that the same police chief,
Fantino, in his days in office, prosecuted the possession and use of
the drug. His selling pitch, that legalization is for the protection
of children is BS. I don't know of any young children who openly drag
on a butt in schools or elsewhere. While adults have apparently no
difficulty in obtaining their marijuana merchandise on the street,
there appears to be two basic reasons why Trudeau wants this
legislation formalized by July 2018:

* It's a money grab from the tax payers who intend to purchase their
weed legally at government owned and operated outlets instead of on
the street.

* Trudeau is catering to his progressive base, where everything goes
without consideration of responsible parents and citizens who have no
use for his Marijuana policy.

My young family including myself as a great grandparent are quite
concerned with the legalization and the effect this will have on the
general population in the future. We feel like millions of other
Canadians who are not being heard. If I was much younger, I would
become a political activist and make some real noise by way of
personally demonstrating in Ottawa, Toronto, or elsewhere where
Canadians need to wake up, before it's too late.

Walter E. Eibisberger

Georgian Bluffs
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt